


Rest

by LuckyLadyLily



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Mild Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-08
Updated: 2020-02-08
Packaged: 2021-02-22 17:02:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22619416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuckyLadyLily/pseuds/LuckyLadyLily
Summary: Calamity Ganon was defeated. Zelda was safe.Link could not sleep.(Prompt: Link can't sleep)
Relationships: Link & Zelda
Comments: 6
Kudos: 42





	Rest

Calamity Ganon was defeated. Zelda was safe.

Link could not sleep.

After the great battle they had made their way back to Hateno, she had collapsed in his bed. He had pulled up a chair next to the bed, leaned on his sword, and watched over her. Protecting her. He wasn’t even sure what he was protecting her from. There were no threats now, not here. 

Since the day Link had awoken in the cave his life had been a race against time. Every day he wondered if this would be the day Zelda's strength failed. Many days he considered storming the castle even though his preparations were not complete. Every day he had to remind himself that moving on Ganon too early would only result in disaster, that he had to trust the princess to hold. The only rest he had allowed himself was when he could not push himself any longer.

But now there were no preparations, no rush. Nothing but time. He didn’t know how to rest, so he stood guard.

* * *

When Zelda finally woke it was dark. For a moment she panicked, fearing the worst, that she had lost her concentration, that Ganon was finally winning out.

But no. The darkness here was natural. Silver moonlight fell through an open window, giving her the faintest idea of her surroundings. She was in a bed. In a room. She could make out the shape of someone sitting next to her in the darkness.

With hardly a thought Zelda lifted a hand and at the tips of her fingers summoned a small point of light, illuminating the room as if by candlelight. She smiled. The figure was, of course, Link, her ever vigilant guardian. He was sitting in a chair next to the bed, hands resting on the hilt of the master sword, and leaning against the wall, apparently fallen asleep as he watched over her. Zelda smiled, it was sweet. She 

She carefully stood up, swaying slightly. She was still quite tired, but she needed to look around. See even some small part of the world she had been locked away from for so long. She moved as silently as she could, placing a blanket over Link before exploring the house. It wasn’t large, a small loft like bedroom overlooking a living area with a kitchen table. She vaguely remembered Link helping her through the house to the bed before she laid down and passed out.

Small as it was, the house had personal touches that marked it as belonging to Link. Looking down into the living area few weapons of significance had been mounted on the wall - Zelda recognized the trident as belonging to Mipha and a bow identical to the one Revali used to use. There were a number of photos and paintings of landscapes from across Hyrule. The most prominent place had been given to a large framed photograph of the champions and herself. She had almost forgotten their faces. 

By the time she managed to pull her eyes away from the photograph there were tears in her eyes.

She carefully stepped down the staircase, clearing away her tears. Next to the staircase there was a small storage area piled high with a variety of weapons. Swords of every style, spears, bows, hundreds of arrows. Zelda chuckled to herself, Link always had liked weaponry. It looked like he had amassed an armory capable of outfitting several dozen soldiers. 

Next to the door there was a cloak hanging on the wall. She hesitated a moment, but surely he wouldn’t mind. She took the cloak, pulled it over her shoulders, and opened the door, closing it quietly behind her.

It was a clear night and the moon and stars illuminated the landscape wonderfully. She sat down on the front step, taking a moment to feel the grass in her hands. She could see wild flowers growing, feel a breeze on her skin, even hear the chirping of grasshoppers. After her long struggle with ganon seeing the world through her own eyes was a dream come true. 

She was tired, the century of exertion catching up to her again. She should probably go back inside, get more rest. But she couldn’t turn away, not yet. She would stay a few minutes longer and enjoy the world she had fought so hard to protect. She deserved that much.


End file.
